Odin Borson (Earth-11584)
History "A king must lack pride and vanity. He must look beyond himself to better serve those he rules. And if you are incapable of making that distinction my son, then you are not worthy to rule, nor to carry that symbol of my house." Odin Borson was born several thousand years ago, after the time of the Dark Elves but before the whole of the Nine Realms had been constructed under the veil of Yggdrasil. The eldest son of Bor, King of Asgard, Odin was named the Crown Prince of that realm at an early age, and helped his father as a warrior assemble the Nine Realms, including Midgard and Jotunheim, under the protection and purveyance of Asgard, somewhat hiding them from the rest of the universe. In his youth, Odin fought the fire demon Surtur to a standstill and imprisoned him on Muspelheim. Surtur swore his revenge and the seers of Asgard prophesied his return to Asgard in a prophecy that became known as Ragnarok (though it was in reality a series of prophecies that spoke to the end of the Asgardian Realm in general). Upon his father's death around 800 A.D., Odin was named King of all Asgard and proceeded to try and bring peace to the Nine Realms. He also married Frigga, daughter of Fjorgynn, and eventually fathered two sons named Thor and Balder. He was largely successful in finding peace, though his rule was tested by the Frost Giants of Jotunheim, who proved to be one of his toughest adversaries. Around 956 A.D. a great battle took place in Norway on Midgard between the Frost Giant king Laufey and Odin's forces. Odin eventually won the day, forcing the Frost Giant's back to their realm. In their retreat, however, Odin found a young Frost Giant babe who had been left to die of exposure. When the child turned pink in his arms, Odin felt pity for the poor youth, whom he discovered was named Loki, and brought him back to Asgard, adopting him and raising him as his own, so that one day an Asgardian might sit on the throne of Jotunheim, ending the threat of the Frost Giants permanently. It was around this time that Odin unlocked a great power that came to be known as the Odinforce. This power, cosmic in nature, embued Odin with vast energies and awareness of threats on a cosmic scale. However, it also required that he sleep at regular intervals for a 24-48 hour period (by Earth reckoning) in a state of stasis called the Odinsleep, during which time he is totally vulnerable and helpless. Failure to do so will cause the Odinforce's power to wear on his body and ultimately result in his death. For several thousand years, Odin maintained peace in the 9 Realms, only losing a squadron of Valkyries in an unknown excursion to acquire the Tesseract. The mission was successful, but at least one Valkyrie fled from this mission disillusioned with her place in Asgard. Odin hid the Tesseract on Earth, ostensibly as a means to ensure that it would not be found by anyone else seeking to unite the Infinity Stones. He also acquired several other artifacts of a great nature, including the Undying Flame. Odin had the dwarves of Nidavellir forge several weapons for him, including the spear Gunginir, the twin hammers Mjolnir and Stormbreaker, a harness for his horse Sleipnir, the Destroyer Armor and most powerfully a weapon known as the Siege Engine, capable of destroying an entire realm if set loose. As time moved on, Odin withdrew from Midgard to the point where most of the people of Earth regarded him as a mythological god. Eventually Odin appeared ready to pass the mantle of leadership on to his son, Thor, and scheduled the coronation of his eldest son. However this coronation was thwarted by wayward Frost Giants who were let into Asgard by someone on the inside. Not knowing who the culprit was, Odin delayed the coronation until he could speak with Laufey on this matter and determine if the Frost Giants were once again becoming a threat. However his hand was forced when Thor, Loki, Balder and others traveled to Jotunheim looking for a fight. Odin intervened, saving his sons from certain death, but likely fracturing the fragile peace between the two realms. Within the Bifrost Chamber, Odin and Thor argued over Odin's rule, with Thor calling Odin an old man who had gone soft. Odin realized that Thor's arrogance made him unsuitable to be king, and in an act of rage Odin stripped Thor of his powers (and hammer Mjolnir) and banished him to the forgotten Midgard. He then sent Mjolnir after him, with an enchantment upon it making it so that only the worthy could lift it. Odin later confronted his adopted son Loki in the vaults of Asgard, and was eventually forced to confess his true origins to him. However the strain of Thor's banishment and his worry forced him into the Odinsleep, rendering Asgard leaderless. While in this state Odin was at least semi-aware of what was going on around him, but powerless to do anything about it. When he finally awoke from the Odinsleep, he found that Balder had been framed for letting the Frost Giants into Asgard. He saw the dead form of Laufey at his feet. And he learned of the true nature of the boy he had pitied so long ago, as Loki had set the whole thing up to try and seize the throne of Asgard. Odin traveled to the Bifrost chamber to confront Loki, but found it destroyed by Thor in an effort to save Jotunheim from destruction via the Siege Engine. Odin then helped his son back to the remnants of the Rainbow Bridge, but watched helplessly as Loki willingly fell into the void. When Loki again turned up on Earth, seeking to gain control of the long forgotten Tesseract, Odin dispatched Thor back to Earth to retrieve both him and it. Thor was successful, and Odin again began to see Thor's succession on the horizon. He dispatched Thor to the remaining 9 realms, trying to maintain peace (specifically in Vanaheim) without the aide of the Bifrost. When asked why he didn't use the Tesseract, Odin said it was because he feared attracting other forces to Asgard. During this time Odin was also forced to sentence Loki to several hundred years in the dungeons of Asgard for his crimes. Eventually the Bifrost was repaired, and Thor used it to travel back to Earth. Quickly though he returned with his "girlfriend" Jane Foster, who had been possessed by another ancient evil known as the Aether. Odin knew the power of this artifact (and its true nature as the Reality Stone), and tried to find a way to separate Jane from it. The entire time, he also didn't approve of the relationship between his eldest son and the earth woman, thinking that it distracted Thor from his ultimate destiny of ruling Asgard. His concerns were set aside, however, when Asgard was attacked by the traitorous Amora the Enchantress and the leader of the ancient Dark Elves, Maleketh the Accursed. Maleketh sought to gain control of the Aether to reshape the Nine Realms to his own ends. Odin fought the Dark Elf off with his own vast power, but unfortunately his beloved wife Frigga was killed in the process. Stricken by grief, Odin forbade Jane from leaving Asgard until the Aether could be separated from her, one way or another. Thor however saw things differently and took Jane, along with the fugitive Loki and others, to the Dark Elves realm to lure Maleketh away from Asgard. Odin dispatched Balder to Svartalfheim to rescue Thor and company, but not before the Aether had been seized by Maleketh. Odin and Thor again argued, and Odin attempted to strip Thor of his powers once more. However the enchantment placed on Mjolnir turned against Odin, declaring him unworthy of the power and showing him the error of his ways. Odin relented and allowed Balder and Thor to return to Earth. However, Odin's guard was down, and his throne was usurped by the illusionary magic of the thought dead Loki, who began impersonating him. Odin's power was hidden from him via an enchantment and Odin was exiled to Earth. At some point Odin overcame the enchantment (possibly with the help of Dr. Strange), but for an undisclosed reason did not return to Asgard. Thor and Loki eventually sought to return Odin to his kingdom when Surtur threatened to return as had been prophesied long ago. They were on their way back via the Bifrost but were attacked by fire demons of Surtur, which caused Thor to be separated from the group. With Balder injured and Odin weak, he was forced to use the Tesseract as a bridge to summon Thor back to Asgard from across the universe. However due to an error, Odin inadvertantly summoned the Korbinite Beta Ray Bill instead. Odin was initially angered by this oversight, but saw Bill as a worthy warrior due to his handling of Mjolnir. He gifted him the weapon Stormbreaker and sent him, along with Loki, Sif and Balder, back to the Grandmaster's planet while he steeled himself for the impending battle of Ragnarok. Weakened near death, Odin's power wasn't a match for his Ancient foe, as Surtur sought the Eternal Flame to complete his destruction of Asgard. Thankfully, he was defeated by the combined efforts of Thor, Bill and Loki (as well as Valkyrie and Heimdall), but the victory was short lived as the use of the Tesseract had summoned another owner of an Infinity Stone, namely the mad titan Thanos, to Asgard. Odin immediately sent Thor, Bill and Loki to Earth to warn them, while sending the Tesseract off with Valkyrie and Heimdall, electing to face the Mad Titan himself. Despite using all of his powers against Thanos, including his trusty steed Sleipnir and a reconstituted Destroyer Armor, Odin was defeated with relative ease by the Titan and the Realm of Asgard was utterly destroyed, and with it the Veil of the Nine Realms. Powers & Abilities * Odinforce: Odin is in possession of the Odinforce, a cosmic level power that grants him nearly omnipotent power within his own realm of Asgard, as well as cosmic sentience and awareness of other cosmic level beings such as himself (such as Thanos). Odin's powers are among the strongest in the MCU, as he is capable of Energy Manipulation, Transportation within the Veil of the Nine Realms, Weather Control, and great feats of magic. The Odinforce's only weakness is its requirement for the Odinsleep. Odin often channels his power through the spear Gunginir, for greater control. * Asgardian Physiology: As an Asgardian, Odin has a lifespan far beyond that of normal humans, as well as superior strength and endurance, which is further augmented by the Odinforce. * Magical Equipment. Odin's vaults contain many weapons of his disposal, most notably the Siege Engine (which is capable of destroying an entire realm when fully powered) and the Tesseract, which houses the Space Stone. Odin is the current wielder of the Space Stone, which grants him the ability to transport people or things across vast distances of the universe (with the downside of attractive other people looking for the Infinity Stones). Weaknesses Odin's primary weakness is his need for the Odinsleep, during which he and his realm are virtually defenseless. Odin is kept under close guard during these times. Stress can bring on the need for this rejuvenating condition, making the timing of it impractical as well. Odin also appears to be susceptible to magic as any other being would be, being caught off guard by Loki's enchantments (albeit while stricken by grief.) Film Details Odin has appeared within the following films within the Earth-11584 continuity of the MCU. In all cases he is portrayed by actor Anthony Hopkins. * Thor (2011) * Thor: The Dark World (2013) * Doctor Strange (2016) only * Thor: Ragnarok (2017) * Avengers: Infinity War (2018) * Avengers: Infinity Gauntlet (2019) only Category:Earth-11584 Category:Earth-11584 Characters Category:Good Characters Category:Asgardian